Lean on Me
by unlikelyRLshipper
Summary: D/L. Spoilers for 6.07. After their conversation in the truck cab, Danny wants to surprise his wife with a honeymoon - of sorts. I'M BACK!


**So, hey there. Does anybody actually remember me??? I'm feeling a little rusty, but I'm hoping that writing fanfic is like riding a bike. A giant thank you to everybody who read and reviewed my last story way back in October (I think). Let me just say that the muse going on vacation and the crippling weight of five essays to write in a few weeks and then exams after that doesn't make it easy to keep writing fanfic – but I'm not making excuses, I promise!!**

**OK, so this one was inspired by 6.07 (the NY portion of the CSI crossover/trilogy) and the conversation between Danny and Lindsay in the truck cab. As well, for any fans of the West Wing, part of this story may seem familiar to you if you remember the episode where Josh cancelled his vacation with Amy and then tried to make it up to her (I think that it was in the third of fourth season).**

**I still own nothing, unless Santa was nice enough to give CSI: NY to me for Christmas. And since I'm not the only one with this wish, sadly it's not mine. What does belong to me, however, are any mistakes.**

**Happy Holidays everybody!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!!!!**

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**Lean on Me**

Danny Messer had never really put that much thought into going on a honeymoon with his wife. When they had gotten married, there really was no time for one between their jobs and their baby. And just when they seemed to be getting a handle on those two things, Danny got shot.

He always figured that he and Lindsay would eventually go on a honeymoon, but probably not until after they were both retired and Lucy was all grown up. It therefore seemed strange then that the first thing that popped into his mind when Lindsay asked him what he was thinking about while staring at the dashboard hula dancer was the fact that they had never actually gone on a honeymoon.

And now he couldn't stop thinking about the idea of him and Lindsay going away together for the first time. Hell, he wouldn't even mind if they took Lucy along with them and turned it into their honeymoon/first family getaway, maybe with their first anniversary thrown in there for good measure. He knew that they would probably have to roll them all up into one because there was no way that both he and Lindsay would be able to take that much time off work. Danny also realized that this trip would have to remain on hold for a while longer, as the Compass Killer was still on the loose, and he still wasn't 100 percent.

Even with all the craziness in their lives at the moment, Danny still wanted to surprise his wife with a little something that would distract them both, but especially her. He could see that the case from Miami was really taking its toll on Lindsay, mainly because the missing girl is pregnant.

Danny was surprised at how quickly his plan came together. His mom was more than happy to take Lucy for the night, excited over what her son had planned for his wife. After a quick trip to the party supplies store to get the appropriate decorations, Danny set out to decorate the apartment. He strung up cheap plastic lanterns, ones that people usually reserved for summer backyard barbeques, in the living room, placed a grass skirt around the edge of the dining table, and placed the leis he had bought for the both of them in the kitchen, taking the spare one and wrapping it around his cane for fun.

With the decorations finished, Danny started to cook their dinner. It was only a simple spaghetti dinner, but he knew that Lindsay wouldn't care what it was because she loved anything that he cooked for her. Cracking open a bottle of wine and setting it on the table, Danny put on a CD that fit in with the mood he was trying to create, and sat down and waited for his wife to come home.

Lindsay arrived home ten minutes later, walking into a dark apartment smelling of spaghetti and filled with the sound of 'Red Red Wine' coming from the stereo. Unsure of what was going on, Lindsay flipped on the light switch but instead of the living room lamp turning on, the room was lit up by several plastic lanterns. With some light in the room now, Lindsay could see that their small dining table had a grass skirt wrapped around it and was set for two people.

Lindsay walked further into the apartment and found Danny standing in the kitchen. He walked up to her, placed a lei around her neck and kissed her in greeting. Before Lindsay could ask what was going on, Danny took pity on the quizzical look on her face and explained.

"Lucy's with my mom for the night. I got to thinking today about us not going on a honeymoon, so I decided to surprise you with dinner in a tropical setting."

Lindsay giggled at his explanation as Danny took her hand and led her to the table. Seating her first, he removed the upside-down plate to reveal the spaghetti and poured her a glass of wine before sitting down himself and repeating the actions. The two ate in silence, and when they were both done, Lindsay decided to ask Danny a question.

"Whatever possessed you to do this? We both know we don't have time to go on a honeymoon anytime soon."

"I know, but I wanted to do something in the meantime until we can actually take our honeymoon one of these days." Both smiled, and then Danny turned serious. "I also did this because I wanted to cheer you up. I know this Miami case is really getting to you, so I though you could use a distraction, at least for a little while."

Lindsay leaned forward to hug Danny in appreciation. Pulling back with wet eyes, she quickly looked away, struggling to control the emotions that had suddenly built up within her. Danny could see how hard she was trying to hold herself together, and it pulled at his heart. Scooting his chair over to hers and turning her to face him, Danny spoke in little more than a whisper.

"Lindsay, you've had my back for so long now that I don't really remember what it was like before you came into my life. You were my saving grace these past few months because I know I could not have made through everything without your love and support. Now it's my turn."

Lindsay continued to hesitate, but Danny could see that her hesitation was not because she didn't want to let him in, but because she was afraid of what would come if she let go. Deciding to make the decision for her, Danny reached out to take one of her hands in his and raised the other to cup her cheek.

"Let go, it's OK. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. You're safe, I've got you."

The look of sincerity and concern on Danny's face, coupled with what he had said, was enough to cause Lindsay's undoing. She quickly lunged forward and gripped onto Danny's upper torso as tight as she could as her tears fell from her eyes. Danny pulled her the rest of the way off her chair and placed her on his lap, cradling her to his chest as her tears turned into sobs.

Danny chose not to say anything, instead letting his presence and his tight hold on her comfort her. The strength of Lindsay's emotions began to take a toll on Danny, as he started to tear up himself because he had a hard time seeing Lindsay so upset and knowing that there was no quick cure for her sadness, but he also knew that the case had taken a toll on him too. It was the first case for both of them since Lucy's birth that involved a pregnant woman, and the manner in which she had become pregnant did not help the situation. He knew that dealing with these types of cases would get better with time, but the first one was always the roughest.

Danny wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Lindsay eventually calmed down and pulled away from him to sit back on her chair, needing to give Danny's legs a rest. Danny started to gather the dishes on the table to go and put them in the sink when Lindsay's hand darted out quickly and took his free hand, intertwining their fingers and drawing his attention away from his current task.

"Leave them. Don't leave me."

Tears sprang up in his eyes again as he stared at his wife. Without saying a word, they stood up together and when Danny reached out for his cane, Lindsay took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders and then wrapped her arm around his waist. Together, the couple made their way to their bedroom, quietly changed for bed and took turns in the bathroom. They climbed into the bed together, both moving towards the middle with Danny making himself comfortable on his back and Lindsay melding into his side, her head lying over his heart.

Feeling in control once again, Lindsay decided to speak. "I'm sorry for bringing down the mood of our 'honeymoon'. I love that you did that for me though."

Danny looked down, only to find Lindsay staring up at him. "As long as we're together, I don't care whether we're crying our eyes out over a case or making everybody sick with how much we love one another. The only thing that truly matters is that we're here for each other, no matter what. We can figure the rest out, we always do."

Lindsay smiled at him and leaned up to kiss him. "I love you Danny."

"I love you too Lindsay. It's been a long day, let's go to sleep."

Tightening his grip on her and feeling her do the same, Danny and Lindsay both closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep, each glad to have someone in their lives that they could always rely on.

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**Thanks for reading!!!**


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